The Master v Rust and Bone: Film Face Off

The Master sees
Joaquin Phoenix make an acting comeback as an alcoholic war veteran taken under the wing of a cult leader, while Rust and Bone stars
Marion Cotillard as a killer-whale trainer who befriends an nightclub bouncer after an accident. But which will win out in this week’s Film Face Off?

Joaquin Phoenix plays Freddie, a troubled, alcoholic World War II naval veteran trying to find the answer to his problems under the sheets and at the bottom of a bottle. That is, until he falls under the spell of Lancaster Dodd ( Philip Seymour Hoffman ), a cult leader reminiscent of Scientology’s L. Ron Hubbard.

Rust and Bone

After suffering a terrible accident, killer whale-trainer Stephanie (Inception’s Marion Cotillard) finds that the only company she can bear is that of Alain, an unemployed nightclub bouncer who helps her piece her life back together.

Winner:Rust and Bone’s opposites attract romance is certainly an intriguing one, but The Master – the work of revered auteur Paul Thomas Anderson – wins this round for having the bravery to tackle cults head on.

The Master wants you to leave wrestling with complex ideas regarding ‘will to power’, and our relation to cinema: what we demand of it and it of us.

A good 20min too long, it requires a leap of faith to call this a masterpiece but I’m still joining the cult. (Larushka Ivan-Zadeh)

Rust and Bone

Cotillard puts in a committed, award-worthy performance as the shattered woman piecing her life back together, while Schoenaerts is a terrific fit for the role of burly, bolshy Alain.

Like Stéphanie, Alain is many things: a fighter, a ladies man and a single father among them. He’s not an easy character to love but, like the film, he’s fascinating to watch. (Larushka Ivan-Zadeh)

Winner:Like many of Anderson’s films The Master has the threat of being over-long or even soporific, as such Rust and Bone’s award-tipped performances edge it in terms of their appeal to audience members with shorter attention spans.